Quick food safety question...

[stassie]

I haven't been on here for a long time... but I still know where to come back to when I've got a question about food safety

We're expecting a baby, and naturally there's been some conversation with preggy friends about food safety etc. So... can someone explain why it's dangerous to leave food out at an unsafe temperature and then reheat the living daylights out of it? It's something I'd never do (habit), but from what I understand, the heat would kill most bugs (listeria, campylobacter, salmonella...)

What doesn't the heat kill, to make it dangerous?

 

[froggythefrog]

Some bacteria release toxins when they die. By leaving the food out at an unsafe temperature, you're allowing those bacteria to grow. Heat the daylights out of the food or not, when the bacteria die, they will release their toxins into the food.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Some bacteria release toxins when they die. By leaving the food out at an unsafe temperature, you're allowing those bacteria to grow. Heat the daylights out of the food or not, when the bacteria die, they will release their toxins into the food.

What froggythefrog said!!!

 

[Alix]

Botulism is the most likely culprit, although there are other toxic ones as well.

 

[jennyema]

Some of the toxins and spores bacteria release are not killed by heat. So you need to make sure that the bacteria itself doesn't grow.

You control the bacteria by keeping food out of the danger zone (40-140).

It's a myth that you can "sanitize" improperly handled food simply by heating it. If that were true we wouldn't need refrigeration.

 

[Painless Cooking]

Store Your Food Properly

There is a lot to keep germs out of your kitchen and keeping your food safe. Many things that you think don't hurt your food actually do. For example, some people think that because bacon has been smoked and after it is cooked it could be left out at room temperature but this is not true. It should be refrigerated.

One of the best sources of information I have found that covers all kinds of food safety is Food Safety Preparation at Home .

It is always best to take precautions not chances!

 

[cara]

Botulism is the most likely culprit, although there are other toxic ones as well.

botulism would only grow in the absemce of oxygene, so no more of them outside in the kitchen..

problem are not only the bacteria toxins but their metabolites...
I could tell you a lot about that, but definetely not in english.. *sigh*

 

[bigdaddy3k]

Dang that language barrier. I wish they had better programs in primary school.

 

[GB]

Geez you guys took all the good answers so I have nothing left to add aside from congratulations on your future arrival

 

[DaveSoMD]

Botulism is the most likely culprit, although there are other toxic ones as well.

and Botulism spored are only killed at temperatures well above 212 F (the boiling point of water).

 

[mcnerd]

To be a little more accurate, C. Botulinum (Botulism) spores are very heat resistant and can only be killed by sustained high temperatures of 240°F or higher. That's the reason for pressure canning of low-acid foods that will be stored in a vacuum environment.

 

[Alix]

What mcnerd said. LOL, sorry folks I posted quickly and was thinking canning, not regular old food left out on the counter. My bad.

 

[mozart]

For further clarification, Botulism is not an issue here. The spores are only activated in an aerobic condition (like canning). The actual toxin is destabilized by heating.

The real issue here is Staff toxin. It is very heat stable, and very common in and on humans.

 

[cara]

for more clarification, C. botulinum surely grows in anaerobic conditions like canning ;o)

mozart, that's a bit confusing the way you wrote that...


@ language
I can tell you a lot in english, but when it comes to professionel english, I have lacks ;o)

 

[mozart]

for more clarification, C. botulinum surely grows in anaerobic conditions like canning ;o)

mozart, that's a bit confusing the way you wrote that...


@ language
I can tell you a lot in english, but when it comes to professionel english, I have lacks ;o)

Yes. Thanks for the correction. The C. Perfringens spore will vegetate in aerobic conditions but this form of food poisoning is caused by the actual organism, not the toxin, and would be killed by vigorous reheating.

In general Clostridium is a nasty genus, causing several diseases including tetanus, and gas gangrene.

 

[CookLikeJulia]

and Botulism spored are only killed at temperatures well above 212 F (the boiling point of water).

What about the highest degree of cooling the food ? it is possible to kill it ?not just boiling but cooling ?

 

[mcnerd]

Owh, don't say that to all those female eggs and body parts that are currently frozen (cryogenics). Sorry, freezing doesn't kill them.

 

[mozart]

What about the highest degree of cooling the food ? it is possible to kill it ?not just boiling but cooling ?

Normal freezing temps don't kill pathogenic bacteria, at least for a period of time. Many cases of food poisoning linked to ice cubes over the years.

Now liquid nitrogen might do it, but I'm afraid the food would have a real bad case of freezer burn

 

[CookLikeJulia]

what about freezing it also kill the botulism ?

 

[mozart]

what about freezing it also kill the botulism ?

Not likely. The Botulism organism is commonly found in the environment in soil. In order to survive, the organism forms an endospore, which is a tough capsule like structure around the bacteria. The purpose of the endospore is to protect the bacteria during periods of adverse environmental conditions (freezing in winter, boiling in your kitchen). For Botulism organisms to produce toxin (which is what causes the disease) they need to be in an environment that is favorable to the organism(low acid, anaerobic). At that point, the endospore will open and the bacteria will multiply creating the toxin as it does.